Car-sign.



N. LITGHPIELD.

GAR SIGN. APPLIoATIoN FILED JuLis, 1911.

A INVNTOH v v BY n f b WM L W/ coLUMslA PL'ANQGRAPH C0.WASHINGTON. D. c.

NORMAN LITCI-IFIELD, OF GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY.

CAR-SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 27,1913.

Application led July 3, 1911. Serial No.. 636,770.

To all whom may concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN LI'roI-IFIELD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Glen Ridge, in the county of Essex and Stateof New Jersey, United States of America, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Oar-Signs, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to changeable signs, especially for use in railroador trolley cars, and its object is to provide a simple and inexpensivestructure which has advantages over those which have heretofore vbeen inuse.

I will describe my invention in the following specification and pointout the novel features thereof in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of acar window,- in this case a side window,-with one of my improved signsshown in conjunction therewith. Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation ofthe device which is shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan View ofa portion of this same device.

A modified structure is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, these figuresbeing a sectional plan view and a sectional side elevation,respectively. The section in Fig. 5 is taken from the center of Fig. 4.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of thegures.

10 designates the upper sash of a car window. 11 is its lower sash. Apair of brackets 12, 12 are affixed to the upper sash. These are eachprovided with vertical grooves or channels, and these grooves arearranged to face each other.

13 is a box-like receptacle open at the top which is fastened to thelower sash in a horizontal position. Inside of this receptacle and nearthe ends thereof are oppositely disposed springs 14.

The signs proper are designated by 15. These are made of spring sheetmetal such as steel with the desired letters, numbers or other symbolson both sides thereof. These symbols may be made in any desired manner,preferably by lithographing them upon the surfaces of the metal. One ofthese signs has a tab 16 projecting upwardly from the center of itsupper edge. The others each have a pair of tabs such as 17, 17 disposedat equal distances from the center. All of the tabs are however, indiHerent positions so that they cannot overlap one another. The samecharacters as those upon the respective signs, or abbreviations of thesecharacters, are placed upon at least one of the tabs of each sign, buton account of the small scale of the drawings this is'not illustrated. i

The signs are arranged to be placed in the receptacle 13 as is shown inFigs. 1 and 2 and are held therein by the springs 14 which press themtogether and thus prevent them from rattling. They may be removed fromthe receptacle by grasping the tabs between the thumbs and fingers, andas the tabs are symmetrical in respect of the length of the signs, theymay be readily drawn out from t-he receptacle.

The sheet metal signs are all of the same length. The brackets 12, 12are so placed that the bottoms of their vertical grooves are at a fixeddistance apart somewhat less than the length of the signs. By referringto Fig. 3 the manner in which the sheet metal signs are placed in thebrackets may be seen. One of them is first bent as shown at 15A so thatits ends may be inserted in the channels in the brackets 12. Then it isforced back until itbuckles back against the glass 18 in the upper sash10. It is shown in this position at 15B. The brackets are so placed thatwhen the sheet metal signs are thus inserted between them they willstill be under pressure produced by their elasticity, so that they willbe forcibly pressed against the glass. This not only securely holds themin place, but effectively prevents rattling. As the characters are onboth sides of the sign they may be read from inside or from outside ofthe car.

In the modification which is shown in Figs. 4 and 5 metallic strips 2()are run horizontally between the brackets 12, 12 and affixed thereto.Spacing brackets 21 may be interposed between the brackets and thestrips 20 and all these parts riveted together. lVith this construction,the proper spacing of the brackets is insured and the signs are buckledback against the strips instead of against the window glass. Only thetop and bottom edges of the signs will touch the horizontal strips sothat but small portions of the surfaces of the signs will be covered bythe strips.

What I claim is.--

1. In a support for flexible signs, the combination with a pair ofbrackets at a fixed distance apart and a fiat support substantiallyparallel to the plane of the brackets and at a fixed distance therefrom,the distance between said brackets and the distance between the plane ofthe brackets and the flat support being such that the flexible signmaintains a fixed position when sprung between the brackets and againstthe flat support.

2. In a support for fiexible signs, the combination with a pair ofparallel grooved brackets at a fixed distance apart, and a fiat supportparallel to the plane of the grooves in the brackets and at a fixeddistance therefrom, the distance between said`grooved brackets and thedistance between the plane of the grooves and the fiat support beingsuch that the fiexible sign maintains a fixed position when sprungbetween the brackets and against the flat su port.

8. In a support for exible signs the combination with a pair of bracketshaving parallel V-shaped grooves at a fixed distance apart and atransparent plate parallel to the plane of the grooves in the bracketsat a fixed distance therefrom, the distance between said groovedbrackets being less than the length of the sign which they are adaptedto support and the distance between the plane of the grooves and thetransparent plate being such that the flexible sign maintains a fixedposition byvreason of the pressure produced by its elasticity whensprung between the brackets and against the transl parent plate with itsopposite edges inserted in the grooves and both its surfaces are visibleand unobstructed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

NORMAN LITCHFIELD.

l/Vitnesses:

WILLIAM P. DALTON, DIoKINsoN E. GRIFFITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

